Atiku Vows to Restore Petrol Subsidy if Elected President in 2027
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has reiterated his promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027, saying the policy would ease the cost of living for Nigerians.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), restated his position in a post on X on Monday, alongside a campaign video outlining his proposed approach to the subsidy.
“My position stands! I will restore subsidy to make life easier and more affordable for Nigerians,” he wrote.
In the video, a female narrator said petrol was selling for more than ₦1,300 per litre in Nigeria, while citizens of other crude oil-producing countries, including Libya, Iran, Venezuela, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, enjoyed lower fuel prices.
The narrator explained that Atiku’s proposed intervention would support petrol produced by local refineries rather than imported products. The arrangement, according to the video, would remain in place until domestic refining could operate without government assistance.
Atiku’s pledge comes more than three years after President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy during his inauguration on May 29, 2023. Tinubu said the government could no longer sustain the rising cost of the policy and promised to redirect the savings towards infrastructure, education, healthcare and job creation.
Atiku has repeatedly criticised the impact of the subsidy removal and made its restoration part of his campaign promises ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
At the ADC presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto on November 4, he also pledged to restore fuel subsidy, reopen the country’s land borders for legitimate trade and tackle insecurity if elected.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
Atiku secured the ADC presidential ticket in May, marking his seventh bid for the presidency. However, the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 5 nullified the emergence of the party’s David Mark-led leadership and decisions taken under it, including Atiku’s nomination.
The ADC has since appealed the judgment and applied for a stay of execution, asking INEC not to take further action on the matter while the appeal is pending.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
